Detachable button fastener



Oct. 14, 1947.

` DETACHABLE BUTTON l FAS TENER Filed June 27, 1944 will/IAE n TRUMBo i 24,429,174

. Tumbo,

Patented oet. 14, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE *This invention relates to detachable buttons for attachment to an article of clothing such as ladiesy clothes y or for attaching buttons to 'upholstery, and for other purposes.

An object ofthe invention Yis to provide a button which maybe readily attached to and detached from flexible material such as cloth or leather. Y, Y Y.

Another object of the invention is to provide a detachable button which iiay be cheaply constructed and which may be readily attached to flexible material such as cloth.

A further object ef the invention Vis tepr'ovid'e a detachable button construction which may be used with any ltype `'of button'.

Other. objects will appearhe'r'einafter from the speciiication.

In the drawings Figure 1 is afrom: elevational view ofthe button, partly in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the button shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the construction shown in Figure 1r. A, L u .v H

Figure'4 is a vView ksimilar to Figure 1, taken on the lines of Figureh fV` A Y Figlre is. adheremnietieyiew of thespiiee member, 11.1. the eenditeeit tende te assume when riot attached to the button and fabric, and

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the back plate.

In the drawings numeral I indicates a button of somewhat conventional design having a decoration 2 and an eye 3.

The spring member is designated in general by the numeral 4. This member has straight end portions 5 and 6 and an intermediate tightly closed coil 1 which is continuously under tension to close the coil.

As specically shown in Figure 6 a back plate 8 is provided. This plate has an enlarged central aperture 9 and a pair of aligned grooves I, I' extending from the aperture to the periphery of the back plate. Formed integral on one side of the back plate are a pair of ears II, I I These ears, although not shown as so formed, may be stamped from the back plate, providing of course this back plate is made of sheet metal, plastic material, or similar material. Opposite ends of the ears are spaced from the surface of the backplate at I2, I2 to provide for manipulating the spring member.

It will be understood that instead of the button I with its eye 3 practically any type of button may be used, even buttons having a. cloth backing through which either the end or the end 6 v dicular to the face of the the material.A The back of the spring member may be forced prior to securing both ends of the spring member on the back plate. l I M Assuming that it is desired to attach the button I to the material A, as shownV in theuseveral iigures, the spring member is rst f orcedthrough the material eitherby moving and partially rotat.A ing the spring. member yin ja directionpclpen: material. Y After` lthe spring member has been partially forced through the materialA'so thatsubstantay all ofthe .Coil is passed.. throughgthemateral itis. threaded through the eye oufv the button, or forced through i thel fabric attached to` the back of the button.

Itis meccanismi@ 'be 4movedin the opposite direction through the v n iaterial yA. InA thisv posi.- tion the twov ends .Sand .6 .protrude through the material and are ,substantially perpendicular Ato .plate v is then fastened to` the materiel.. by .threading the. ends 5 and G through the aperture. Sand bending. these ends against the tension of the coil portion 1 so that the ends lie hat against the face yof the back plate 8. The back plate may 4no wpbe rotated by hand, still holding the Straight end portions', untilthe end portions areforcedinto thegrooves Inand are held in these grooves by the ears. During rotation of the back plate to its iinalposition and to that shown in Figures 1 to 4, the end portions pass into the grooves Ill, I S due to the spaces I2, I2.

During the several steps of the above operation, particularly at the time of and subsequent to the attaching of the coil member 'I threading through the eye 3 of the button all portions of the coil member are maintained under tension. This is also true during the entire time the button is maintained in place on the material, as

shown in Figure 1. In other Words during this time the convolutions of the coil are opened due to the twisting thereof and are maintained in this open position to thereby continually apply tension to the button tending to pull it toward the material A.

The above construction, and particularly the operation of the coil 1, constitutes a major improvement in the art of button fasteners inasmuch as this construction prevents the button from being pulled away from, or detached from the fabric. With this construction should any sudden tension be placed on the button this tension will be taken up by the spring 'I and the spring 'l will maintain the position indicated in Figure 1 due to the back plate In the drawings a conventional back plate has been shown Which is similar to that disclosed in the patent to Sudiah, No. 1,219,188, dated March 13, 1917, b-ut any other similar backing plate may be used such as that shown in the patent to Washbourne, No. 138,107, dated April 22, 1873.

It Will also be appreciated that the button fastener disclosed herein may be quickly and readily attached and detached from the material A when it is desired to clean the material. By the present construction a large number of but tons may be entirely removed from an article of apparel when it is desired to send such article to the laundry for cleaning purposes and these buttons may be readily and easily attached again after the article has been returned from the cleaners.

In Figure the coil 1 has been shown out of proportion to the size of the ends 5 and 8. In

the actual construction coil 'l will approach as closely as possible, in cross sectional diameter, the diameter of the ends 5 and 6. The spring member 4 may be made of `piano wire inA order that the coil 1 may be a tight closed coil under continual tension to maintain itself in closed tight condition. y

The description is to be construed in an illustrative sense rather than a limiting sense as I desire to be limited in the practice of this invention only to the extent set forth in the appended claims. i

I claim:

1. For use with articles of clothing, upholstery or other flexible material, the combination of a button having an eye, spring means comprising a coiled intermediate portion and substantially straight ends, said coiled portion engaging the eye of the button, and said straight ends adapted for passing through said material and for engagement with a back plate on the opposite side of the material from said button.

2. For use with articles of clothing, upholstery or other llexible material, the combination of a button having an eye, spring means comprising a coiled intermediate portion and substantially straight ends, said coiled portion engaging the eye of the button, and said straight ends adapted for passing through said material, and a back plate having means for engaging at least one of said endse 3. For use with articles of clothing, upholstery or other iieXible material, the combination of a button having an eye, spring means comprising a coiled intermediate portion and substantially straight ends, said coiled portion engaging the eye of the button, and said straight ends adapted for passing through said material, and a back plate having means adapted to be engaged by the ends of said spring means.

4. For use with articles of clothing, upholstery or other flexible material, the combination of a button having an eye, spring means comprising a coiled intermediate portion and substantially straight ends, said coiled portion engaging the eye of the button, and said straight ends adapted for passing through said material, and a back plate, said plate having a plurality of ears adapted to be engaged by the ends of said spring means.

5. IFor use with articles of clothing, upholstery or other flexible materials, the combination of a button having an eye, spring means comprising a coiled intermediate portion and ends on said spring means at least one of which is substantially straight, said coiled portion engaging the eye of the button, and said straight end passing through said material and adapted to engage with a back plate located on the opposite side of the material from said button.

ELIZABETHTRUMBO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name `Date 357,327 Lynn Feb'. 8, 1887 1,060,944 Reymond May 6, 1913 o 1,219,188 Sudiah Mar. 13, 1917 2,107,913 Stader Feb. 8, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 701,466 France Man/17, 1931 66,349 Austria Aug. 25, 1914 `48,764 Austria June 26, 1911 518,828 France Jan. 10, 1921 343,546 Germany Nov. 4, 1921 

